A blanket with a frog pattern may go to a child who is leaving Anchor House Family Assistance Center with his family as they move on to a new home.

A blanket with a red and black checkered pattern may go to a man working to overcome a drug or alcohol addiction at Todd’s Place.

A blanket with a pink and teal design may go to a woman receiving treatment for breast cancer at the Don and Dana Myers Cancer Center.

No matter the situation, the fleece tie blankets will provide some comfort to those who receive them.

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As snow dusted the ground outside Saturday, volunteers worked inside Rockford United Methodist Church to put the blankets together.

The goal for the third year of the project is 160 blankets, and organizer Jenn Snodgrass said they got a good start Saturday.

Another event is set for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the church, and more volunteers are welcome to help complete the project. That also will involve making some scarves with leftover remnants.

“To be getting this much involvement is wonderful,” Snodgrass said Saturday morning when nearly 20 volunteers were busy working. “If we get this much involvement again (this) week, I don’t think we’ll have any problem getting all of these blankets done. And we’ll be making scarves, too. Those are really quick and fun to make.”

Don’t know how to make a fleece tie blanket? No problem. Snodgrass said it’s simple, and anyone can do it.

They already have two pieces of fabric cut in 6-foot lengths and placed together. After spreading them out on a table, you cut a square in each of the four corners. Then you cut slits in the fabric one inch apart all the way around the edge of the blanket. The final task is tying the cut pieces of each fabric together in a double knot.

“They are extremely easy,” Snodgrass said. “Some people never made a blanket this morning and already have done four or five. It’s easy enough that it can be a family activity. It’s really family-friendly.”

If four people are working on a blanket, she said it typically takes about 20 minutes to complete.

“It depends on how much you’re doing talking and how much you’re doing tying,” she said, smiling.

If children don’t want to help, there is a nursery available with activities for them while their parents work.

The number of blankets has increased since the first year of the project. Around 105 were made that year, while 125 blankets and 100 scarves were made in 2016.

It all started when Snodgrass and a friend, Tonya Disque, talked about making blankets for Anchor House, a homeless shelter for families in Seymour.

The facility’s executive director, Deb Bedwell, came to their workplace, PD Pharmatech, to promote the Jackson County United Way campaign drive.

They thought about making 10 blankets.

“I asked (Bedwell) how many blankets she needed, and she said, ‘Oh, about 100.’ I was like, ‘Oh, well, that’s a lot of blankets,'” Snodgrass said, smiling.

She and Disque decided to give it a shot, and through some fundraising and a generous donation from their employer, they were able to make it happen.

“That kind of jump-started us, and then we got some other donations, and we were able to get enough material to make about 105 blankets that first year,” Snodgrass said.

Last year, Bedwell told them she didn’t need blankets, but they wanted to keep doing the project. They were going to help a couple in Hayden by making blankets for less-fortunate families in Jennings County, but the couple wound up with health issues.

Snodgrass and Disque then decided to give the 125 blankets to the cancer center and The Alley in Seymour and a homeless shelter in North Vernon.

With the blanket request increasing again this year, Snodgrass was fortunate to find fabric on sale at a store and have a coupon to use. She also was able to use a tax-exempt card from Westport United Methodist Church, which supports the project along with Rockford United Methodist Church and Hartsville United Methodist Church.

“We’re paying 20 percent of the price of the fabric, so that’s huge to be able to get it on sale,” Snodgrass said. “We couldn’t afford to do it otherwise.”

She also found half-price remnants and received donations from her employer, the three churches and individuals.

Snodgrass’ husband, Matt, is a part-time pastor at two of the churches, and they got married at the Rockford church.

“There’s nice church involvement, but there’s also everybody from the community,” she said of volunteers who help with the project.

Among the volunteers Saturday was another one of Snodgrass’ friends, Joyce Howell.

She said she was happy to help.

“I think people want to help. They just don’t know where to go or what to do,” Howell said. “This is quick, simple, easy, and it makes a difference.”

At a nearby table, Seymour High School seniors Grace Otte, Madison Pifer and Autumn Bontrager worked together on blankets.

They helped out to earn community service hours for National Honor Society. Each member is required to do at least 40 hours in a year’s time, Otte said.

Some of those hours have to be for United Way, and with some of the blankets going to one of its agencies, Anchor House, it was the perfect project for the trio.

As the volunteer opportunity representative for National Honor Society, Otte mans the signup sheet and organizes volunteers for various projects.

Members recently completed an Angel Tree project that provides Christmas gifts to less-fortunate children.

“Knowing that those kids get presents for Christmas and these people get blankets to be warm, it’s a good feeling,” Otte said.

Pifer said it’s good to be a part of an organization that focuses on giving back.

“I always like helping people, and I like that we can all unite together to help these people and do something fun because making blankets is just fun,” she said.

Bontrager said she likes doing projects with her friends.

“This is really enjoyable, and I thought it was going to be fun to do with some of my friends,” she said. “I like making these blankets, so I thought it would be better to help someone while I’m doing it. It makes me really happy, and I like doing things for people like this, knowing that they are going to enjoy it, too.”

To entice more people to help, Snodgrass provides food and drinks throughout the day for the volunteers.

“A well-fed group is much more productive,” she said, smiling.

Snodgrass said she is happy to be able to help Anchor House, Todd’s Place and the cancer center, and she is open to reaching out to other organizations in the future.

“If somebody else suggests someplace else that does not have blankets yet and needs some, we’re always open to other places,” she said. “I don’t know how much more volume we can do. We might have to open up a third weekend, but we’re certainly open to it.”

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From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, people are invited to volunteer their time making fleece tie blankets at Rockford United Methodist Church, 1934 N. Ewing St., Seymour.

Jenn Snodgrass, organizer of the project, said anyone can make a fleece tie blanket, and if you don’t know how, you can be shown. People also can volunteer to purchase fabric.

The blankets will be given to the Don and Dana Myers Cancer Center, Anchor House Family Assistance Center and Todd’s Place.

At least 160 blankets already have been requested.

People of all ages can volunteer for as long as they wish. Lunch will be served. Coloring activities will be available for young children.

To make a donation to purchase fabric or for information, call Snodgrass at 812-216-2998 or email [email protected]. Also let her know if you have a large group coming so there are plenty of blanket tables and food.

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